Rachelle Childs podcast reaches 3 million downloads as petition for police reward increase grows
More than three million people have now downloaded the multimedia investigation into the murder of Rachelle Childs, a cold case which continues to haunt her family and friends 24 years on.
And her sister is not stopping in her quest for justice, as a petition to increase the reward to $500,000 to find her killer is gathering momentum online.
Rachelle's sister Kristy, who launched the Change.org petition told signatories: 'This is a personal plea to increase the reward for information leading to a conviction in her case to $500,000. It's been over two decades since we lost Rachelle and justice has yet to be served.'
She told this masthead: 'We haven't achieved a raise in the reward yet, despite campaigning for years.
'We feel an increase in the reward is justified and warranted.'
Rachelle Childs in a picture taken at her 21st birthday party.
Kristy said they feel the reward increase 'may help to encourage the public to come forward with perhaps some information that they have held back for personal reasons'.
'We also think that considering other cases with rewards of $500,000, $750,000 and even $1 million, Rachelle's case having a $200,000 reward is not equitable or fair.'
The petition comes as the Dear Rachelle podcast has dominated the podcast charts in Australia and has ranked highly in the UK and New Zealand, as it reinvestigates evidence from the cold case with the help of Rachelle's family and ex-detectives.
For more information about our investigation, exclusive photos and video, visit dearachelle.com.au
LISTEN TO THE DEAR RACHELLE PODCAST BELOW:
When hearing the news of the podcast reaching three million downloads, Kristy said: 'Three million people listening to Chelle's story, talking about her case, and supporting the investigation is just mind blowing.
'We are so thankful, heartened and incredibly grateful.
'We just hope that all this incredible hard work and support from the public leads to a conviction and a very lengthy sentence.
Murdered Bargo woman Rachelle Childs whose burning body was found at Gerroa on Thursday June 8, 2001.
'That is the only reason why we are doing this.'
Rachelle, 23, was murdered, set on fire and left on the side of a lonely highway near Gerroa, on the NSW south coast, in June 2001.
There was a lengthy police investigation at the time, but it was marred with incompetence and ultimately failed to identify the killer.
As a result, Rachelle's case ended up languishing at the back of police unsolved homicide files.
Journalist Ashlea Hanson talking to former detective Damien Loone about the case. Picture: Julian Andrews
The podcast team at News Corp has been working with Rachelle's family and ex-detectives to reinvestigate long-forgotten evidence, along with the alibi of the chief suspect – her former boss Kevin Steven Correll, who has consistently denied murdering Rachelle and has never been charged. He says that he has always co-operated with police by supplying his DNA and answering all their questions.
Mr Correll and Rachelle sold used cars at Camden Holden when she died. What Rachelle and the rest of the community probably didn't know was that he was previously acquitted of four sexual assaults under his birth name, Kevin Cornwall.
Past allegations aside, it's possible Mr Correll was one of the last people to see Rachelle alive when she left work for the last time on June 7, before she died.Later that night, a number of motorists saw a car that matched the description of Rachelle's prized Commodore along the highway between her home in Bargo and Gerroa, where her body was uncovered.
If you have any tips or confidential information, please contact investigative journalist Ashlea Hansen at dearrachelle@news.com.au.
You can also join our Dear Rachelle podcast Facebook group.
Originally published as Rachelle Childs podcast reaches 3 million downloads as petition for police reward increase grows
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